Electrical connector



Nov. 22, 1966 J. P. ECKERT, JR

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 21, 1964 NET INVENTOR JOHN PRESPER ECKERT JR.

AGENT J. P. ECKERT, JR

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Nov. 22, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1964 FIG. 5

.\ 2 llll 6 FIG. 6

United States Patent 3,287,689 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR John Presper Eckert, Jr., Gladwyne, Pa., assignor to Sperry Rand Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 419,880

11 Claims. (Cl. 339-92) The primary object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector which is easily fabricated with a high density of electrical connections.

More specifically, however, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector of the socket type which is characterized by its reliability and its inexpensive design. a

In accordance with the above objects and first briefly described, the invention comprises a socket structure divided into one or more pockets by one or more flexible flaps having electrical contacts etched or otherwise formed on at least one face thereof. The flaps are suitably secured along one edge to said socket structure with its contacts electrically connected to electrically conductive pins ex- 1 tending through a wall of .said socket structure for connection to associated electrical components or circuits. Each pocket receives the contact-carrying edge of a printed circuit board with its contacts tightly pressed into electrically conductive engagement with the flap contacts.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view with parts broken away of an electrical connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a flap element showing its connector elements;

FIGURE 4 illustrates a modified arrangement of connector elements on the flap to accommodate a similar arrangement of connector elements on a printed circuit board;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating a modified dual flap construction; and

FIGURE 6 is a detail view of a cam means for applying the contact pressure.

With reference now to the details of the drawings and first to FIGURES 1 and 2, the numeral 10 designates a base member comprising bottom wall 12 and side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20, all combining to form a shallow rectangular pan shaped receptacle.

As more clearly seen in FIGURE 2 a plurality of flap members 22 are suitably secured in spaced parallel relationship to the top side 23 of bottom wall 12. In FIG- URE 3, each flap is shown as comprising a thin piece 24 of flexible electrically insulating plastic material having a plurality of contact fingers 26 formed in parallel on one face, as by conventional methods, such as etching. Each contact finger 26 terminates along one edge '27 in electrically conductive relationship with a plated through hole 28.

Returning to FIGURES 1 and 2 it is seen that bottom wall 12 is provided with plural rows of closely spaced electrically conductive terminal pins 30. The lower end 32 of each pin extends from under surface 34 of bottom wall 12 to provide means whereby the pins may be con- 3,287,689 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 nected electrically to associated apparatus (not shown) as by wires, such as shown at 36. The upper ends 38 of pins 30 project only a short distance from the upper face 23 of bottom wall 12, but sufficiently to extend through the plated-through holes 28 in the flaps 22, and be electrically connected thereto, as by soldering, for example. If desired, the solder connection may be relied upon to secure the flaps to face 23 of wall 12. This would make it easy to remove a defective flap if necessary, by applying a hot iron to each connection to soften the solder and then pulling upwardly on the flap.

It will be understood that each flap may tend to return to its initial fiat'condition even after being mounted on wall 12. On the other hand it may be preliminarily set in its bent L-sha-ped condition, as seen in FIG- URE 2, and by the broken line 38 in FIGURE 3.

The above describes the basic flap socket of the invention prior to assembly therewith of the printed circuit boards.

In assembly, printed circuit boards or cards 40 are inserted in the socket with their edge aligned contact fingers 42 (FIGURE 1) facing the contact fingers 26 on the flap. If the flap is in a preconditioned L-shape the lower edge 44 of the cards 40 are merely slid into the socket on the right hand side of each flap, as 'viewed in FIG- URE 2, until the shoulders 46 and 48 on opposite sides of the cards rest on the top surface of walls 16 and 20. In this position its bottom edge 44 preferably is slightly above the upper face 34 of bottom wall 12.

Spacing members 50 are provided to fill the space between flap and card pairs. To facilitate handling of the spacers they may 'be glued or otherwise secured to the left hand face of the flaps (FIGURE 2) or along the lower right hand edge of the cards. Pressure means, such as screw 52 threaded through wall 14, is then used to press the assembly and the mating contacts tightly together. If desired, a compliant member 54, such as rubber, may be positioned 'between wall 18 and the adjacent flap and card assembly to provide pressure in the opposite direction. This compliant member serves also to spread the pressure along the whole transverse dimension of the assembly, as well as taking up any slack in pressure which may result from cold flow of the elements under pressure.

If desired, each spacer may be provided with a compliant surface, as shown by way of example at 56, to assure an even distribution of pressure along each flap.

If the flaps are used in their initial flat condition they may be elongated, as shown in broken lines at 58 to facilitate handling during assembly.

If desired, an interlaced contact finger pattern, as seen in FIGURE 4, may be used on both the flap and card, thus to provide more tolerance in the critical direction of the contact fingers.

Instead of the screw 52 for applying pressure to the assembly, as described above, other means may as conveniently be used. For example, as seen in FIGURE 6 a cam element 60 may be pivotally mounted in wall 14 in a position whereby its high lobe 62 may be rotated again-st bar 50, as shown, to apply the necessary clamping pressure.

The flap socket concept described above may be modified, as shown in FIGURE 5, to a double-flap arrangement. In this form, each of the flaps 64 has a substantially U-shaped configuration to receive a twin card assembly 66, comprising two cards 68 .and 70 secured together as a unit, but in spaced relationship, as by spaced block 72. The circuit components 74 are mounted on the facing surfaces 76 and 7-8 of the cards with their terminals connected to etched wiring terminating along the lower outer edges of the cards to mate with etched contact finger-s on the inner surfaces of the flaps. As

described above, pins 80 extend through the bottom Wall 82 of the pan-shaped socket base 84 and plated-through holes in the-flap for solder connection to the contact fingers.

Contact pressure may be applied as described above, but in this case-by Way of another examplean elongated spring member 88 is interposed between the screw and the block 90. A compliant member 92. may be used between the block 90 and the vertical leg 94 of the flap 64, and another 96, between legs 94 and 98 of adjacent flaps.

In this arrangement, mounting of the circuit components 74 between the cards 68 and 70 of each pair permits the dual card assemblies to be combined in closely packed assemblies of high density.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In an electrical connector: a base receptacle, a flexible multi-conductor element secured thereon by terminal means connecting each conductor of said multiconductor, and means to press said conductors against leads of an inserted circuit card.

2. A connector in accordance with claim 1 wherein: said means to press said conductors comprises means for pressing said multi-conductor element tightly against a portion of said base receptacle.

3. An electrical connector accord-ing to claim 2 and further including: compliant means between said flexible mult-i-conductor element and said means to press said conductors whereby the applied pressure may be distributed substantially evenly over said conductors when they are employed as mating contacts.

4. An electrical connector according to claim 1 and further including: a plurality of said multi-conductor elements arranged in parallel across said base receptacle, a plurality of electrically conducting terminal means, each of said multi-conductor elements having its contacts electrically connected to electrically conductive terminal means, said electrically conductive terminal means extending through said base receptacle.

5. An electrical connector according to claim 4 and further including in combination: a plurality of circuit cards each having electrical conductors printed thereon with contact terminals arranged along one edge positioned in said base receptacle adjacent each of said multiconductor elements with the said contact terminals positioned to engage respective contacts of said multi-conductor elements; and said mean-s to press said conductors disposed to bring said terminals and said contact fingers tightly together in electrically conductive contact.

6. An electrical connector according to claim 5, and further including: spacer means between each circuit card/multi-conductor element pair for spacing each pair from each adjacent pair, and through which the contact pressure is applied.

7. A construction according to claim 6 and further including: compliant means between each spacer means and circuit card/multi-conductor pair whereby the applied pressure is substantially evenly applied over the contact area.

8. A flap socket according to claim 5 wherein: said circuit cards span the width of said base receptacle and include shoulder portions extending over opposite side walls of said base receptacle to rest thereon thus to limit insertion of said cards into the receptacle.

9. A flap socket electrical connector comprising: a base receptacle having a botom and upstanding side walls; a flexible flap of thin electrically insulating material having a plurality of electrically conductive fingers formed on a surface thereof; and means securing a midportion of said flap to the said bottom wall between said side walls with opposite edge portions bendable to extend from said bottom wall in U-shape with the terminal ends of said fingers facing each other.

10. A flap socket connector according to claim 9, and further including in combination: a pair of circuit cards secured together in spaced relation and having electrical conductors printed thereon with terminal portions arranged along opposing edges positioned between said opposite edge portions of said flap; and means for applying pressure against said flaps when in their upturned position to bring their contact fingers tightly into electrically conductive contact with said card terminals.

11. A flap socket according to claim 10, and further including: a plurality of said U-shaped flaps and card pairs arranged in parallel in said base receptacle; and compliant means between said pressure means and at least one of said flaps.

No references cited.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

W. D. MILLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR: A BASE RECEPTACLE, A FLEXIBLE MULTI-CONDUCTOR ELEMENT SECURED THEREON BY TERMINAL MEANS CONNECTING EACH CODUCTOR OF SAID MULTICONDUTOR, AND MEANS TO PRESS SAID CONDUCTORS AGAINST LEADS OF AN INSERTED CIRCUIT CARD. 